Southern Culture on the Skids goes out on a limb

Who really needs an opening act when you have alter egos, right? For the Chapel Hill-based band Southern Culture on the Skids, this was a question well explored in the late ’80s when the group found itself without the funds to pay an opener. With their instruments by their side, they flip-flopped into The Pinecones, […]

Poet Patricia Asuncion gathers a sea of sisters

When writer and Charlottesville resident Patricia Asuncion took to the streets of Washington, D.C., during the 2017 Women’s March, her protest felt eerily familiar. “When I was first divorced in the 1970s, I had no credit. I had no bank accounts. I had nothing in my name. I didn’t even have the first name Patricia. […]

Movie review: A Wrinkle in Time satisfies book- and film-lovers

A tale of science and psychology, A Wrinkle in Time imagines a scenario in which the universe wants those living within it to feel connected to themselves and everyone around them, and that the demons of depression and self-doubt are due to a great cosmic evil. Fifty years after it was first published, Madeleine L’Engle’s […]

Local middle schooler organizes suicide prevention concert

On Charlie Shea’s first day of middle school two years ago, she received some words of wisdom from her father, Danny Shea. “My dad told me, ‘It’s going to suck. I’m just going to brief you,’” Shea remembers. In the past two years, she says she experienced “enough bad days to go around,” as well […]

Live Arts’ Fun Home tugs at the heart

A stage representative of a beautifully cared for home lights up, as does the face of the youngest version of Alison Bechdel, played by Violet Craghead-Way, as she begins to sing. I had only heard about Fun Home. I had never seen it (or listened to the music). I walked into Live Arts’ production on […]

ARTS Pick: Bluegrass artist Molly Tuttle is on the rise

Read any of the critical raves about Molly Tuttle’s work, and her masterful flatpicking is sure to be mentioned. Playing since age 11 and making records since age 13, Tuttle learned skills passed down by her father, Jack, and became the first woman to win the International Bluegrass Music Award for Guitar Player of the […]

ARTS Pick: Banff Mountain Film Festival goes extreme

Dramatic mountainous backdrops compete with daring cinematography during the Banff Mountain Film Festival, where the audience has a bird’s-eye view of outdoor sports pros at their most extreme. The festival offers more than 30 short films that connect with personal stories like that of American skier Aaron Rice, who aims to set a record by […]

ARTS Pick: Lucy Dacus answers some big questions

Being cautious has never been in Lucy Dacus’ playbook. Comfortable with big questions and lyrically confident, Dacus is still riding a wave of accolades from her debut, No Burden, an album that pegged her as someone to watch. Of her latest release, Historian, C-VILLE’s Nick Rubin says Dacus delivers “disarming frankness and old-soul wisdom.” Supported […]

ARTS Pick: Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home

Fun Home is a musical adapted from the autobiographical memoir of graphic artist Alison Bechdel, who chronicles her life from childhood to the present. When Bechdel’s father dies, she starts an introspective adventure, trying to make sense of their complicated and sometimes strained relationship.  As she uncovers the mysterious life that her dad led as […]

Lynn Thorne’s new book honors a journey of love and transition

It began at a Live Arts callback a few years ago. That’s where Lynn Thorne, a native Virginian who had just moved to Afton, met Jennifer. “We kind of became instant friends, and she shared with me pretty early on that her husband was transgender,” Thorne says. At the time, Thorne admits, she didn’t really […]